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M41B2 Medium Anti-Vehicle/Assault Weapon
The M41B2 is the latest in the M41 line of man-portable missile launchers and is the UNSC's primary dual purpose missile launcher. The weapon is an all purpose launcher, with one singular targeting system that allows it to fire several kinds of missile or rocket, capable of engaging tanks, aircraft, infantry or buildings. It uses a multi-purpose targeting system, which features a fold out LCD digital screen linked to a forward telescopic optical and thermal camera, a small but powerful Active Electronically Scanned Array wave RADAR and a laser range finder/guidance, along with a back up 2x optical scope for direct fire. It can switch through and display different scopes, prioritise them and display target range. It can also be linked to the user's HUD via a fibre optical cable. The fire control system has an analogue output for weapon control, allowing the operator to switch targets via touch screen and control panel. The control panel can link to forward reconnaissance elements, such as RADARs and thermal sights, allowing it to target and engage enemy armour or aircraft outside of visual range, giving it the ability to fire on armour without direct line of sight, or attain early lock on and 'first shot' capabilities in air defence. Description The M41B2 looks similar to the previous line of M41 missile launchers, with two 102mm barrels capable of firing both unguided rockets or guided missiles, both anti-tank and anti-aircraft. The most commonly used ammunition for the M41 is the Shogun Anti-Tank Guided Weapon. The Shogun missile tracks the heat signature of a target using an cryogenically cooled thermal targeting sensor in the nose of the missile. The firing procedure for a Shogun fired from the M41 is to lock onto the target by pointing the launcher at a target and looking through the launcher's sight, which can be a conventional, thermal or digital. Once a soldier has the target in sight, he or she must press and hold a button on the side of the launcher's grip until a red box appears around the target in the scope, signalling a lock. Then the firer must simply squeeze the trigger to launch the Shogun ATGW. Normally, the Shogun is set to "top kill", where after the missile gets within a certain distance from the firer, the Shogun will fly up into the air and dive down onto the top of an enemy tank, where it's armour is weakest. The Shogun will then impact the top of the vehicle and detonate a shaped-charge warhead, which will send a molten EXCALIBUR jet, melting through the tank's armour, incinerating the crew, and detonating fuel and ammo reserves, destroying the vehicle. The Shogun can also be fired in direct fire mode if the top of a target cannot be hit, if it is in a tunnel for instance. Either way, the Shogun is capable of penetrating the rear, top and side armour of a Necros Compound Tank. Another commonly used missile in the M41 is the Ramhorn surface-to-air missile. The procedure for firing a Ramhorn SAM is similar to firing the Shogun, the only difference being the use of a AESA RADAR instead of an thermal guidance system. When fired, the Ramhorn will accelerate to hyper velocity, seek out the target and slam into it, destroying the enemy aircraft with pure kinetic energy. The third round is the simplest, the Cerberus 102mm rocket. The Cerberus is fired simply by taking aim and launching, as there is no guidance system. The Cerberus comes in three basic warheads, a high explosive-dual purpose for destroying buildings, un-armoured vehicles, and infantry, a high explosive squash-head, for destroying heavier armoured vehicles and structures and a thermobaric warhead, which is basically a miniature fuel-air bomb capable of devastating fortified positions. The weapon can also fire the Acumen made all purpose Spirit laser guided missile using the on-board LASER, usually used for range finding and the LANCER anti-infantry missile. The M41B2 MAV/AW has multiple uses through out the UNSC, as many uses as there are missile types. It is most commonly used in UNSC Weapon Platoons, where it can be used as a direct or indirect fire missile, as a assault weapon using unguided rocket munitions, for use against stationary targets, a anti-defilade weapon, using air bursting fragmentation munitions or used by air defence forces for short range defence missions, mostly against gunships or dropships. UNSC Remarks Category:UNSC Weapons